So you’re already eating healthy and you think there’s not much you can tweak about your diet to make it better. But that’s where you’re wrong. Here are some trade-offs you can make to make the stuff you’re already eating even more nutritious.
In your fruit smoothie:
- Swap milk for full-fat Greek yogurt. Go for the full-fat dairy because it’s been linked with a lower risk for obesity and Greek yogurt is creamier than milk and offers more protein.
- Swap bananas for berries. A cup of raspberries only has five grams of sugar and a cup of strawberries only has seven, so they’re both lower than a banana which has 14. And berries are packed with fiber to fill you up.
- Swap protein powder for nut butter. A tablespoon of nut butter is a healthy fat that’s full of protein and gives your smoothie a milkshake-like texture. YUM!
In your salad:
- Swap grilled chicken for black beans. This vegetarian option is still protein-packed, plus black beans have lots of fiber. And some say that going meatless even a few days a week can reduce your risk for chronic disease.
- Swap bottled dressing for one you make yourself. A lot of packaged dressings are high in sugar and have some questionable additives. Just mix oil, vinegar, herbs and spices for one that’s much healthier. Or make a creamy and tangy dressing with ⅓ cup plain kefir, ⅓ avocado, and one teaspoon mustard.
- Swap processed cheese for real cheese. A couple tablespoons of real cheese not only tastes amazing in a salad, but it doesn’t have those nasty chemicals and additives that processed cheese food does.
For your sandwich:
- Swap wheat bread for sprouted-grain bread. The sprouting process makes it easier for your body to absorb the calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc in this kind of bread. And they usually have less sugar and more fiber than wheat bread.
- Swap deli meat for leftover meat. Those nitrates and sodium in deli meat have been linked to a higher risk of cancer. Use your leftover meat from dinner in your sammie instead.
- Swap iceberg lettuce for collard greens. Iceberg doesn’t offer much nutrition, but dark leafy greens like spinach, collard greens, or Swiss chard have vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Source: Women's Health